Russian Ambassador Regrets His Citizens Involved in a Clandestine Laboratory in Bali

Second Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Indonesia Olesya Netesova/ Photo: ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Russian Embassy (Kedubes) regrets the actions of its citizens who were caught running a clandestine laboratory for narcotics in Bali some time ago.

The Second Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Indonesia, Olesya Netesova, said the incident was very sad, but it was not an excuse to justify the actions of Russian citizens.

"We are committed to the law, both Indonesia and Russia, in combating drugs and maintaining good relations between the two countries," Netesova said at a press conference on the destruction of narcotics evidence in Jakarta, Tuesday.

He also admitted to being impressed by the enforcement of laws related to narcotics in Indonesia, which managed to uncover the case of a dark laboratory in Bali.

The reason is that in the disclosure, he said, the largest amount of narcotics evidence had been seized during the disclosure of the mephedrone laboratory in the country, namely 7.3 kilograms.

Netesova emphasized that Russia and Indonesia traditionally have a conservative approach to drugs, with the main priority being to create a safe and healthy society, where everyone can live, work, create, build families, and serve the country.

Thus, he emphasized that there was no place or mercy for this global-scale crime.

"We hope that we will continue to move in the same direction and work together to create a drug-free world," he said.

Previously, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) RI dismantled a mephedrone drug laboratory syndicate controlled by a Russian network at The Lavana De'Bale Marcapada, Pering, Blahbatuh District, Gianyar Regency.

Head of the BNN RI, Commissioner General of the Police Suyudi Ario Seto, at a press conference in Gianyar, Bali, Saturday (7/3) said that the success of this non-criminal disclosure was the result of joint operational cooperation between the BNN RI, Immigration, Customs and Excise, and the Bali Police.

"This success is the result of a joint operation between the BNN RI, the Directorate General of Customs and the Directorate General of Immigration intensively since January 2026 until it was able to uncover the clandestine lab operating in the Gianyar area, Bali and arrest two suspected perpetrators of Russian citizens," he said.

In this case, BNN secured two foreign nationals (WNA) from Russia, namely NT (female) alias KS and ST (male).

The two are suspected of playing an active role in the production and distribution of mephedrone, a very dangerous type of party drug.